LA PLATA, Md. (August 26, 2010)—St. Charles High School is the name of Charles County Public Schools seventh high school, which is scheduled to open in August 2013 off Piney Church Road. The Board of Education Aug. 10, by majority vote, selected the name from three recommendations submitted to them by a school naming committee.

Groundwork to prepare the school site is already underway, and the Board is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the school on Sept. 8, 10 a.m., at the site, which is adjacent to Regency Furniture Stadium. The groundbreaking is open to the public. The school system hopes to solicit bids for the school in the fall and begin construction in early 2011.

St. Charles High School will offer courses and programs through environmentally infused instruction. The high school will offer opportunities to students as well as the Charles County community. A digital classroom and Science on a Sphere are included in the design of the new high school and will be used by students across the county.

Board members selected the name because the school sits in the heart of the remaining 4,000 acres to be developed in St. Charles. The committee suggested three names, as directed by the Board, for consideration. Name suggestions were St. Charles, Zekiah and Lagrange Point.

A comprehensive high school redistricting will occur prior to the opening of St. Charles High School. A redistricting committee will be developed next summer and work through the 2011-12 school year to make rezoning recommendations to the Board. Superintendent James E. Richmond is recommending that the Board opens the new school with students in grades 9, 10 and 11, with some students being moved from other high schools.